Tamiya Paint HEEELLLP!!!

i've got the same problem.........im hoping after i clear coat the sucker the fingerprints wont be noticed.

-Brian

Hi,

I have had similar problems especially with clear coat. It is because paint is not fully cured (maybe to thick coats) and stay soft. Now, I can avoid that using thin coats and well thinned paint.

In your case clear coat will not help in my opinion - finger prints will be visible. Try to remove them with polishing compound (it works) and then clear coat the surface.
Using rubber gloves helps as well to avoid such a problem.

Hope this helps

Macio

Hey, whats the polishing compound youre talking about, and do you have any ideas as to where i could get this? THanks

Ps. The lame thing about my problem is that i was using latex gloves when this happened. The finger prints are really really light although still visible, so this polish stuff seems like it could work. Thanks man!

No problem!

Well, it sounds pretty strange - I have never had such delicate surface on my models. Finger prints appeared only when pressed. Have you had similar problems with other colors?

I use Tamiya polishing compounds - there are 3 grades:
Coarse, Fine, SuperFine and fine or super fine is ok to remove finger prints. You may buy it on: www.etamiya.com or www.mediamixhobby.com.sg
With the coarse you can remove even the orange peel.
Sand with soft cloth and light pressure and circle movements. Wash model after sanding with warm water to remove any residue - especially important if you plan to lay another coat of paint. As far as I know does not contaminate model surface.

Maciek

Strange, I find the acrylics dry too quickly if anything. Perhaps it's the indiginity of painting a Tbird pink that was just too much for the car and it's trying to reject the paint?

I have the opposite problem, I rattle canned a Corsair A/C with enamel and it's still tacky after two weeks! The cars I've sprayed with acrylics are dry to the touch within an hour, though the paint doesn't dry fully for at least 24 hours. I can't wait for the parts to come in for my A/B so I can start squirting paint with it!

Macio- thanks a lot, Ill be sure to pick some up. Youre sure washing it in warm water wont do anything to the paint?

brigg- i know what you mean. these things do dry quickly but for me they dry a little bit but are still like clay for a few days. I can push them around and leave fingerprints. Its kind of annoying.

Just slightly warm water...

I polish without water but wash model up in slight warm water.

Macio

Tamiya acrylics have a habit of staying slightly "soft" even after curing for a long time. To harden up the finish, I like to use a hair dryer on low-medium heat. The dry heat will help to harden the finish up better. Just don't heat the thing too much or you will create more problems for yourself. Then you can use Tamiya polishing compound to get a great finish.

Paints typically dry from the surface in. The surface dries first because it is exposed to the air which allows the carrier to evaporate more quickly. Once the surface dries it tends to form a seal which prevents the paint beneath from drying as quickly. Thus paint can be dry to the touch but not completely "Cured" underneath.

Acrylics basically form a coat of plastic around the parts. This is different from enamels and laquers which actually adhere to the parts. Acrylics need to cure thoroughly or you run into the problems you have mentioned. When in doubt, smell them. When the paint is cured you won't smell much but if it hasn't you can still smell the thinner evaporating.

Another problem is oil or grease. Either from the molding process or from your hands. The thinner in enamel and laquers dissolves the oil and it isn't as much of a problem. Acrylics are frequently water based and they don't have a strong solvent to dissolve the oil. That oil can dramatically slow down the curing time of acrylics which can cause them to take an excessively long time to cure. I always use alcohol to clean parts off before painting with acrylic. Many people just wash their parts in hot soapy water. Either works fine but alcohol tends to dry quicker. I also use alcohol for thinner in my acrylics under the assumption that it will help dissolve any oil that I missed when I cleaned the parts.

Alrite cool thanks. I will definately try that hairdryer method, because this is the second time Ive had to wait over a week for the paint to really dry.

Wash your hands! The oils secreted by your fingers can leave marks in any paint-or use cotton gauze gloves.